As we continue on our Rim Drive tour, the day is quickly getting away from us and we have so much more to see!

We bypass several overlooks and come along Cloudcap Overlook (ONLY open during the summer) on the east side of the lake.

Cloudcap Overlook is the highest paved road in Oregon and is 1-mile long.

Looking Northwest.
The sides of the caldera create shadows along the edge of the water.

Looking west.

Whitebark pines cling to the surrounding area (not pictured) for survival, dwarf and contorted by the harsh winds that sweep across. Gino pointed them out just as we were driving back down the mountain. If I would have seen them, I would have gotten photos (next time!).

Our next stop along the drive was the Phantom Ship Overlook. The “other” island, they say it resembles a small sailboat (I’m not seeing it).

This area is surrounded by trees, so views of the lake are seen through them.

Looking Northwest toward Watchman Overlook.

Our tour of the lake is about over and I think we are about done too.

The East Rim Drive road (only open during the summer!) is very bumpy and in need of repair. There are no guardrails along the way, which I thought was very strange, because the road got very close to the edge a few times!

Our last stop along the Rim Drive was Vidae Falls.

Vidae Falls comes from a spring fed creek that tumbles 100 feet along the cliffs.

Trying to get a good picture of the falls was a bit difficult but I was able to get a great shot of the sign!

That’s our day at Crater Lake, we would love to go back and see more. Right now it’s time for some dinner and then we are off again…

After getting Isabel her Junior Ranger BADGE and PATCH, we decided to take the the 100 year old Rim Drive (33-miles) around the lake. There are 7 “must-see” stops along the way. We stopped by 5 of those 7. Enjoy!

We started out heading west from Rim Village and stopped at Discovery Point.

Discovery Point is located near the area where John Hillman, a gold prospector first stumbled upon Crater Lake back in 1853. The European-American called it “Deep Blue Lake.” Not looking so blue today…

The wind was still really blowing across the caldera but the clouds seem to be breaking up.
A closer view of Wizard Island, Fumarole Bay and Skell Channel.

Our next stop along Rim Drive was Watchman Overlook. This is where we really got to see the BLUE lake water. GORGEOUS!

I overheard a gentlemen telling someone in his party that the water reminded him of the Caribbean. Wow!

Looking Northeast across the caldera.

Also while we were at the Watchman Overlook, we got to see the 37-passenger boat tour out on the water. There is only 1 boat and 20 tickets are sold over the phone or online ONLY! The remaining 17 tickets are ONLY available at automated kiosks inside the lodge or a gift shop. Only about 1% of the visitors to the park actually see it from the water!

Looking East across the caldera to Mount Scott (highest peak in the park at 8,929 ft.)
Now we closer to Wizard Island (but it doesn’t quite look like an island from here).

Looking Southeast.
The Rim Village is along the right hand side of the photo.

I had wanted to add a panoramic view, with the blue water, but I can’t get the look I want, so the lake view is 3 separate shots. Bummer.

Family photo (only 1) on this trip. This nice family asked me to take several photos of them and then they repaid me with a photo too! It was still a bit chilly out but the wind had dead down considerable.

The “moderate” Watchman Peak hike trail.
The hike is 1.6 miles and you gain 420 feet in elevation. The historic fire lookout was built in 1932 and is still used today.

By this time our “happy” little Junior Ranger isn’t so happy anymore and she’s getting bored.

We finally made it to Crater Lake, located 19 miles north of our RV park.

It’s beautiful country. We would recommend the trip. Most of the people we encountered didn’t speak English (or weren’t speaking it in public) and we were the only car truck with plates from Washington. Most were from California and Oregon. Enjoy!

Nobody wanted a picture by the sign and I can’t take one of myself.
Oh well, a quick shot and then it’s onward to the lake!

Our first view of the lake at 7,100 ft. was a disappointment!
The view matches the sky!

We arrived around noon and the wind was blowing across the caldera cold and fast. Thick clouds were gathering overhead and it looked like rain. Since we didn’t think to take along our jackets or a sweatshirt, we stopped by the gift shop and got some great souvenirs! Afterward, we went and hiked around.

Does she look cold? She’s not, the wind was whipping up dirt and it was getting in our eyes.

Wizard Island, Fumarole Bay and Skell Channel.

Wizard summit is 6,940 feet and is only accessible via the Crater Lake boat tour. You can swim, fish, and hike on the island. I later learned that the trees along the summit have been killed by a parasitic plant; dwarf mistletoe.

Isabel and I in front of Wizard Island.
The “Devils Backbone” is just over my left shoulder.
(notice the little stone wall behind us, at the very bottom of the picture…)

The view drops straight down into the caldera! So WATCH OUT!

After taking this photo and posting it to the blog I noticed that the lake water below looks more like clouds. So it appears that we are above the clouds, which isn’t the case at all. The lake reflects the sky no matter if it’s cloudy and gray or sunny and blue. Very interesting and cool.

One last photo before we head inside, while the rain comes down and there’s a bit of lighting.
The water in this photo is fascinating in the way the surface seems to bend and twist all within the same space!

Grotto Cove is on the far left, while Danger Bay is on the right. You can also just make Phantom Ship Island. Garfield Peak, in the right foreground, is the second highest peak in the park at 8,054 ft. Mount Scott, in the very back, is the tallest peak in the park at 8,929 ft.

Interesting fact: the average water surface elevation is 6, 173 ft. and the average temperature is 32°-60° F. No streams empty into the lake that would normally bring sediment to cloud the water, so clarity is 143 feet, which is a world record. The maximum depth is 1,943 feet, which is also a record for a fresh water lake in the United States. The maximum distance across is 6.1 miles.

There were several species of fish introduced into the lake between 1888 and 1941. However only 2 live and reproduce in the lake today; Kokanee salmon and Rainbow trout. Fishing is allowed but with artificial lures only.

At this point we came to our first destination and it was where we spent most of our time at the lake because someone wanted to earn her Junior Ranger BADGE and Junior Ranger PATCH. We made a stop at the Rim Village Visitor Center to collect her Junior Ranger activity book. She had to complete 7 of the 11 pages in her book to get the BADGE.

With help from Daddy, she finished her book in 2 hours time and was able to join the Junior Ranger summer activity to get the PATCH. AWESOME!

She’s so PROUD!
Now it’s time for that summer activity with the ranger.

Her Crater Lake activity book, badge, and patch.

Inside she got to pick which pages she wanted to complete.
Draw your own National Park; she drew mountain peaks with snow and trees and 1 mountain erupting! She would call it: BLAST OFF National Park!
(the ranger loved this!)

On this page she had to come up with a poem of her own while using the letters from CRATER.

We took a few days to head south to Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon. Enjoy!

On the straight road to Prospect OR.

We arrived late yesterday afternoon and are heading to the National park tomorow.

So these pictures are from yesterday after we arrived at our RV park.

The Rogue River behind our RV park.
What a sunset!

An Upper Rogue River dam.
Such a peaceful gorgeous place!

Looking around the bend.

Enjoying a walk by the Rogue river and canal.
We saw fish; maybe we can catch something for dinner.

Looking back toward the dam.

Our little monkey!

Our RV park.
We were located in the back corner along the highway.
It was nice and quiet, even being so close to the highway.

Our campsite and trailer!

The campsites don’t have fire pits which was completely fine because of the “extreme” fire danger in the area! The park has 2 common pits in the center of the park and the hosts hold s’more/live music parties during the week and on the weekends. Awesome!

So much to see in just a few minutes from the RV park and the camp hosts are more then helpful with places to see. Would stay here again and it’s close to Crater Lake as well.